Carrying handle

ABSTRACT

A flexible handle is provided for attachment to large containers, such as picnic chests, baskets, luggage, and the like, in the form of a strap having snap fasteners at either end to connect to the container, and a relatively stiff medial portion as a hand grip.

United States Patent Sol Kramer Baltimore. Md.;

Charles Gretz, Los Angeles, Calif. 772,561

Nov. 1, 1968 June 22, I97] Lite-Like Products, inc. Baltimore, Md.

Inventors App]. Nov Filed Patented Assignee CARRYING HANDLE 9 Claims, 9Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 220/94, 220/91 lnt.Cl 865d 25/32 Field ofSearch 217/125; 150/12,33; 220/91, 92, 94, 95; 229/93, 54 C, 52

A,52 AC,52 AL;2l5/l00 A; 16/114 A, 114 B,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,176,711 10/1939 06111161101220/91 3,056,525 10/1962 Deinert. 220/21 3,085,612 4/1963 GObei 150/12x3,111,153 ll/l963 Sonkaetal. 150/48 3,137,423 6/1964 Tupper 1220/94 UX)3,232,476 2/1966 Cloyd 220/102 3,302,679 2/1967 Padovani 217/125xFOREIGN PATENTS 1,079,442 8/1967 GreatBritain 229/52AL PrimaryExaminerRaphael l-l. Schwartz Attorney-Birch and Birch ABSTRACT: Aflexible handle is provided for attachment to large containers, such aspicnic chests, baskets, luggage, and the like, in the form of a straphaving snap fasteners at either end to connect to the container, and arelatively stiff medial portion as a hand grip.

PATENTEDJUHZZIHYI 1 3.586200 SHEET 1 0F 2 INVENTORS' SOL KRAMER CHARLESGRETZ ATTORNEY PATENTEUJUNZZIHYI 3586200 SHEET 2 BF 2 F IG. 9 INVENTORSSOL KRAMER CHARLES GRETZ ATTORNEY CARRYING HANDLE This invention relatesto handles and it is more particularly concerned with handles forcarrying containers of various kinds, such as picnic chests, baskets,luggage, and the like.

Conventional handles for such objects are relatively rigid inconstruction and in the means for attaching them to the containers to becarried. Consequently, when manually carrying the containers whilewalking, an effect is produced similar to that of an automobile withoutsprings traveling over an uneven surface.

It is known that a person, while walking, raises and lowers the centerof gravity of his body relative to the ground in rhythm with his gait.To the same extent, he will raise and lower an object held in the handwhile walking. This requires an expenditure of work each time the bodyis raised which is essentially not recovered when the body falls aftereach rise. In fact additional work is expended on impact of the footagainst the ground when the body falls in each cycle of rise and fall.When the body is rigidly connected to a heavy object, such as by a rigidhandle held in the hand, the required amount of work is increased inproportion to the additional weight carried.

An object of the present invention is to ameliorate this condition, toachieve a degree of impact absorption and salvage a part of the workexpended in walking under such circumstances.

Another object is the provision of a resiliently flexible handle whichfunctions on the order of automobile shock absorbers.

A further object is the provision of a flexible handle for a containerwhich permits the hand to be oriented naturally while grasping thehandle and with a uniform distribution of weight over the grippingfingers in any convenient position, such as when walking up hill or downhill.

A still further object is the provision of means for simply and readilyattaching such a handle to a container to be carried.

A still further object is the provision of such a handle which isfabricated of a plastic material.

These and still further objects, advantages and features of theinvention will be apparent from the following description consideredtogether with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. I is a front elevational view of an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a fragmentary portion of theembodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the embodiment of FIG. I with thehandle moved from a vertical to a horizontal position.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the handle, apart from the container,in relation to the snap engagable connectors, one being shown engagedand the other being shown disengaged.

FIG. Sis a view along the line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an elevational view of an end portion of the handle.

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of the link which engages the end portionof the handle.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view along the line 8-8 of FIGv 2.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view along the line 9-9 of FIG. 8.

Referring with more particularity to the drawing, in which like numeralsdesignate like parts, the embodiment is illustrated in relation to aconventional form of picnic chest 11, having sidewalls 12 and 13, endwalls 14 and 15, a bottom wall 16, and a removable cover or lid 17 atthe top. The chest may be made of any suitable material, such as heatinsulating foamed polystyrene.

Instead of the conventional rigid type of carrying handle, there isprovided a resiliently flexible handle 18 of a plastic material, such ashigh density polyethylene resin, pressed to the shape shown in FIGS. 1,3 and 4 with rounded corners l9 and 20 adapted to fit around the corners21 and 22, respectively, of the chest when the handle is in itshorizontal position as shown in FIG. 3.

The ends of the handle 18 are provided with arrowhead bosses 23, 24 forsnap engaging resilient detents or holder elements 25, 26, respectively,at the end of inverted T-shaped links 27 and 28. These links are adaptedto fit correspondingly inverted T-shaped recesses 29 (only one shown) inbosses 31, 32 on the end walls 14 and 15, respectively.

A medial portion 33 of the handle 18 is thickened to form a relativelyrigid hand grip.

The cover or lid 17 is provided with notches 34 and 35 opposite thehandle in its vertical position, which register with the handle when thecontainer is being carried and thus tend to prevent the lid frombecoming disengaged.

We claim:

1. A carrying handle for a container comprising a strip of resilientlyflexible material,.wall anchors pivotally connected to the ends of thestrip, bosses carried by the container, said bosses having recesses,said anchors being slidably held in said recesses.

2. The subject matter of claim 1 in which a medial portion of the stripis relatively rigid to provide a hand grip.

3. The subject matter of claim 1 in which the ends of the strip arepivotally connected to the anchors by means of snap fasteners.

4. The subject matter of claim I in which the anchors and recesses areof inverted T-shape.

5. The subject matter of claim 1 in which the strip is I pivotallyconnected to the anchors by snap fasteners.

6. The subject matter of claim I in which the strip is of a high densityplastic material.

7. The subject matter of claim 6 in which the plastic material is highdensity polyethylene resin.

8. The subject matter of claim I in which the strip is preshaped to fitin the horizontal position, around the corners of a container to whichit may be attached.

9. A one-piece carrying handle for a container having spaced sidewalls,spaced end walls, and in which the spacing of the end walls aresubstantially greater than that of the sidewalls comprising an elongatedrelatively flat and wide plastic strip of material resiliently flexiblevertically in its normal operative position, means for pivotallyattaching the ends of the strip to the end walls, respectively, of thecontainer with the strip bent in the shape of an arch greater in lengththan one-half the perimeter of the top of the container, an integralmedial portion of the strip being relatively rigid to provide a handgrip.

1. A carrying handle for a container comprising a strip of resilientlyflexible material, wall anchors pivotally connected to the ends of thestrip, bosses carried by the container, said bosses having recesses,said anchors being slidably held in said recesses.
 2. The subject matterof claim 1 in which a medial portion of the strip is relatively rigid toprovide a hand grip.
 3. The subject matter of claim 1 in which the endsof the strip are pivotally connected to the anchors by means of snapfasteners.
 4. The subject matter of claim 1 in which the anchors andrecesses are of inverted T-shape.
 5. The subject matter of claim 1 inwhich the strip is pivotally connected to the anchors by snap fasteners.6. The subject matter of claim 1 in which the strip is of a high densityplastic material.
 7. The subject matter of claim 6 in which the plasticmaterial is high density polyethylene resin.
 8. The subject matter ofclaim 1 in which the strip is preshaped to fit in the horizontalposition, around the corners of a container to which it may be attached.9. A one-piece carrying handle for a container having spaced sidewalls,spaced end walls, and in which the spacing of the end walls aresubstantially greater than that of the sidewalls comprising an elongatedrelatively flat and wide plastic strip of material resiliently flexiblevertically in its normal operative position, means for pivotallyattaching the ends of the strip to the end walls, respectively, of thecontainer with the strip bent in the shape of an arch greater in lengththan one-half the perimeter of the top of the container, an integralmedial portion of the strip being relatively rigid to provide a handgrip.